Historic Landscape Characterisation
Merthyr Tydfil

078 Dowlais Great Tip, Trecatti, Trehir and Twyn-y-Waun

HLCA 78 Dowlais Great Tip, Trecatti, Trehir and Twyn-y-Waun Reclaimed industrial landscape; an area, formerly similar to HLCAs 031 and 039, since subject to reclamation, opencast and landfill, or combinations thereof former site of multi-period extractive and drainage features associated with the Dowlais Ironworks; former site of industrial and post-medieval upland settlements; former site of a regionally important Medieval Fair/market.

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Summary

A reclaimed industrial landscape typified by open-cast and landfill operations. It contains nothing of historic interest above ground.

Historical background

The historic landscape area of Dowlais Great Tip, Trecatti, Trehir and Twyn-y-Waun comprises an extensive area of reclaimed industrial land, part of which has been subjected to opencast operations. The area encompasses the sites of Longtown (Trehir), Trecatti and Twyn-y-waun, the latter being the former site of a medieval market mentioned in numerous documentary sources.

The area formed part of the extensive coal and ironstone workings associated with Dowlais Ironworks, part of which survives within the adjacent HLCA 039. The workings of the area spanned from the latter half of the 18th century, through the hay days of iron production associated with railway construction during the 1840s, and the conversion of Dowlais to steel production during the 1860s. With conversion to steel production the area's mineral workings declined, being all but abandoned by the early 1870s; a result of coal and iron ore imports from northern Spain, the local ore, rich in phosphorous and sulphur being unsuitable for steel production. By 1879, most if not all the pits and levels within the area, were probably already defunct.